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Le Commandant Charcot, a technological wonder capable of sailing in the most extreme environments, is opening up new horizons in unrivalled comfort and invites you to explore the Saint Lawrence. This river is not accessible to traditional ships in winter, so this exclusive and all-new PONANT journey lifts the veil on unique great open spaces, where the waters, once turbulent, freeze into ice, and where the forests are dressed in an immaculate white coat.
A journey suspended in time, where lives blend with the natural elements and where the wild beauty of nature is revealed in its full splendor.

Inclusions
  • Domestic air from Montreal to Saint Pierre & Miquelon
  • 12 nights cruise aboard the luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot (PONANT)
  • All onboard meals—breakfast, lunch, dinner, and complimentary 24-hour room service
  • The Open Bar*: a wide selection of drinks (mineral water, soft drinks, wine, beer, Charles Heidsieck champagne, spirits, coffee, tea) is served on request and at any time of the day
  • Free Wi-Fi internet access 24 hours a day
  • Included shore excursions as stated in the itinerary
  • Transfer from pier to airport
  • Featuring guests: Sue Flood, British Photo Ambassador!
February 10, 2025 Cruise Only
Prestige Balcony $25,759
Deluxe Suite $27,389
Taxes & Fees Included
Rates in USD. Per person based on double occupancy.
No Single Supplement

*Certain premium alcoholic beverages on the menu are not included in the Open Bar

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Highlights

  • Take a trip through the heart of nature as you explore the St. Lawrence in winter – a PONANT exclusive that is only possible on board Le Commandant Charcot – and enjoy a warm welcome from the people of Canada.
  • With featured guest Sue Flood, British Phot Ambassador.
  • The eye and the advice of our photo ambassador, a privileged opportunity to immortalise your trip with, in the programme: workshops, conferences and personalized advice to improve your photographic skills.
  • Outings and shore visits with a team of naturalist-guides.
  • Visit traditional villages and get to meet indigenous Innu and Micmac communities.
  • The possibility of admiring the unique colors of the Northern Lights rippling across the sky.
  • Activities* during the unique winter season: kayaking, ice fishing and tasting raw rockfish, dog sledding, tastings of local produce, and optional activities such as ice climbing, canoeing on ice and skijoring.
  • The chance to see newborn whitecoats* in the Magdalen Islands: the only place in the world where you can observe this unique scene. (Subject to weather and ice conditions).
  • Make the most of Quebecois hospitality and conviviality.
  • Unforgettable overnight stays to take the time to contemplate the spectacle on offer.
  • Landscapes: great open spaces, fjords, immaculate boreal forests, sea ice, snow-covered valleys.

*Activities subject to weather conditions, to be pre-booked before the cruise. More information available soon.

 

Our Guest of Honor: Sue Flood

Sue Flood is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker and public speaker. Her work takes her all over the world but she has a special passion for the wildlife and icy beauty of the Polar regions and is one of the very few women who chooses to return again and again to Earth’s harshest and most demanding environments.

A zoology graduate, Sue spent 11 years with the BBC Natural History Unit, working on series including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth as well as the Disneynature movie Earth with Sir David Attenborough, before turning her focus to photography. Her images have appeared in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Geo and other distinguished publications. Her most recent book is Emperor, The Perfect Penguin with a foreword by Sir Michael Palin.

Sue’s work has won multiple awards and in recognition of her photographic achievements, Sue was invited to meet Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace. In May 2022 Sue received an Honorary Master of Science degree from The University of Chester.

Her adventures in the Arctic and Antarctic include diving with narwhals and leopard seals, living with Inuit hunters on the floe edge and camping for several weeks in Antarctica’s most southerly emperor penguin colony.

Sue is a member of the Explorers Club, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Royal Photographic Society and of the North American Nature Photography Association.

When she is not in some far-flung location, Sue lives on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales.

Sue is honoured to have been appointed as one of Ponant’s Photo Ambassadors.

Language spoken: English

Sue Flood

Image with no description

February 10, 2025 – Saint Pierre Island, Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Off the Canadian coast, discover Saint Pierre Island, one of the two main islands of the Saint Pierre and Miquelon archipelago, the only French territory in North America. Endowed with a natural harbour, the island, whose name is a reference to the patron saint of fishermen, developed around the fishing industry and still has many traces of its past today. Whale hunting, cod fishing, alcohol smuggling during the Prohibition: all of these memories are still very much alive in the capital, Saint-Pierre. The island is also renowned for the observation of exceptional fauna including, among others, whales, fin whales, dolphins, seals, puffins and petrels.

February 11, 2025 – At sea

February 12, 2025 – February 13, 2025 – Cap-aux-Meules, Magdalen Islands
Scattered through the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the Magdalen Islands offer a variety of extraordinary landscapes, between captivating drifting ice floe, tall red sandstone cliffs, sandy beaches covered with an immaculate coat and snow-covered valleys. Here, winter really is a special season, a time of contrasts and mysteries. The icy winds intertwine with the softness of the salty air, and the colourful houses, dressed in their finest attire, stand bravely in this enchanting scenery. In these distant lands, you will be plunged into Acadian culture, you will discover ancestral traditions here and will have the chance to explore the unique landscapes on hikes or snowshoe walks along the icy shores.

February 14, 2025 – At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot
Spend exceptional moments sailing aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first luxury polar exploration vessel and the first PC2-class polar cruise ship capable of sailing into the very heart of the ice, on seas and oceans which the frozen conditions render inaccessible to ordinary ships. Le Commandant Charcot is fitted with oceanographic and scientific equipment selected by a committee of experts. Take advantage of the on-board lectures and opportunities for discussion with these specialists to learn more about the poles. Participate in furthering scientific research with PONANT and let us discover together what these fascinating destinations have yet to reveal to us.


February 14, 2025 February 15, 2025 – Gaspé

In the glacial darkness of the Canadian winter, Gaspé stands proud like a preserved and authentic jewel at the edge of the dark waters of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Nature seems to be holding its breath. The captivating Mount Jacques-Cartier, the highest point of the Chic-Choc Mountains range and the South, is dressed with an immaculate coat of snow, while the frozen rivers slowly wind their way, fixing time in their icy embrace. During a snowshoe walk, fall in love with the captivating landscapes of the L’Anse-au-Griffon Valley, right in the heart of the Forillon National Park. Then, in Percé, opposite the famous eponymous Rock, dive into the natural beauty of the “magic forest”, where thousands of conifers decked out in an immaculate white cloak are like silent guardians watching over this isolated piece of land. You may also fall in love with this charming town, where the exciting history and the conviviality of the locals come together in a delightful blend.


February 16, 2025 February 17, 2025 – Sept-Îles

On the edge of the Canadian landscape, between the icy waters of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Sept-Îles invites you on a unique journey. Surrounded by a captivating sea of ice and an immaculate boreal forest, the seven islands, eternal guardians of the coastline, seem to murmur timeless stories. In particular, you will have the privilege of meeting the Innu people, the indigenous civilisation of the Côte-Nord, during a unique moment when you will learn more about their ancestral customs and traditions. The area is famous for its winter festivities; like its emblematic Hivernants (hunters and trappers who would spend the winter), fall under the charm of its unique environment. During Nordic hikes on skis or snowshoes, you will be enchanted by its captivated landscapes.


February 18, 2025 – Sailing Saguenay River

In the heart of winter, the Saguenay River becomes an enchanting setting. Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, set sail on a captivating cruise. The once turbulent waters of the Saguenay are now calm and silent, covered in a thick layer of ice. The trees lining its shores are wrapped in a glistening coat of snow, forming a majestic alley. At twilight, when the sun is setting behind the mountains, pink and gold reflections light up the horizon, turning the landscape into a bewitching tableau.


February 18, 2025 February 20, 2025 – La Baie (Saguenay)
During the long winter months, in the majestic Saguenay Valley, the borough of La Baie is cloaked in an aura of mystery. Here, the striking contrasts of its pristine lands, where nature displays its full splendour, invite you to experience a unique moment alongside the Saguenayens, a people amongst the most welcoming and hospitable in the world. During a snowshoe walk or a dog sled outing, as a passenger or a musher, take the time to observe immaculate nature bordered by a thick ice floe, where Le Commandant Charcot will remain for several days, and you will be able to disembark. Each winter, hundreds of colourful huts set up on these frozen waters to practice traditional ice fishing. You will be initiated into these ancestral techniques and have the pleasure of tasting freshly caught rockfish..


February 21, 2025 February 22, 2025 – Québec

At the confluence of the Saint Charles River and the Saint Lawrence estuary, in the South-East of Canada, the capital of the Beautiful Province puts on its best finery in the winter season. During its long winter months, the historic streets of the city – whose name means “where the river narrows” in the Mi’kmaq language – are decked out in a cloak of snow. Let yourself be swept away by the unique atmosphere of the old town, including in the Petit Champlain district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the aromas of spices and hot chocolate emanating from the surrounding cafés will warm up hearts and souls alike. An oasis in the heart of urban life, the Plains of Abraham will provide you with the opportunity to try out the most popular winter activities, like cross-country skiing or ice skating, while making the most of sumptuous panoramas over the city that hosts the world’s largest winter carnival every year.

Shore Excursions Group

Add Shore Excursions to your cruise booking today!

Why choose PONANT?

An attentive crew, expertise, fine dining and more. Within a fully 5 star setting, we take you to discover exceptional destinations while offering you a travel experience that is both authentic and high end.

  • Travelling the French way
    PONANT is an exponent for the French way of life across every sea on the globe. On board, this is translated through exceptional services, a multilingual crew and bringing French know-how to the fore.
  • Exceptional destinations
    From secluded ports to secret seas, from forgotten beaches to remote lands, our experts choose itineraries that take you away from major tourist routes so you can enjoy unique cruises and shorelines that few have seen before.
  • Ships on a human scale
    Thanks to our small capacity ships, we can dock in private ports and offer stopovers in preserved locations. On board, the limited number of passengers means that everybody can enjoy special moments and feel as though they are on a private yacht.
  • Our commitments
    PONANT aims at becoming a world reference in the field of sustainable development in the cruising industry. The environment and ethics are among our main concerns, both in the regions we visit and in our relationships within the company and with our partners.

 

Terms & Conditions

All rates are per person, based on double occupancy in Canadian dollars (unless otherwise stated) New bookings only. Space and price may be limited and subject to availability at the time of booking.  Errors or omissions may occur on the above information with no guarantee of being honoured. Terms and conditions apply. Tax is not included in the above base fare. Above tax amount includes non-refundable $30 per adult Booking Management Fee. $50 per adult cancellation fee. Not included in the above rates: Xpresspost fee, recommended medical, cancellation or baggage insurance. Child rate is applicable when travelling with 2 paying adults sharing 1 hotel room, using the existing bedding. Price Match Policy: Travel Best Bets makes every effort to remain competitive by offering our ‘Match or Beat Any Price’ offer however due to certain restrictions  there will be some product we cannot match or beat. Please note the star ratings found on www.travelbestbets.com are determined by Travel Best Bets based on a number of factors and may not match the star rating found in the Tour Operator’s brochure. Please view our star ratings by clicking here. Due to an increasing volume of disputed bookings, we will only accept payment for air only travel to India, the Philippines and the continent of Africa through the following means: book and pay cash in person or by direct deposit into our business account – once the transaction is verified and a copy of the receipt emailed or faxed to our office, we will confirm the booking. Please contact us for details on how to book using this method. Please contact [email protected] for photo credit information. BPCPA #3287